Avoid These 10 Most Common Mistakes

With over 330 million members, every business owner can find a prospect or two on LinkedIn. In fact, LinkedIn has been making it easier and easier to get your message out to prospects. ( Julie Hood )

But making the following 10 mistakes will ruin your efforts and spoil your interactions. 

Use the action steps below to take your LinkedIn profile and activities from "good enough" to "off the charts amazing" so you can land that next big client - or your perfect job. 

Mistake #1 - Using LinkedIn as a glorified resume (and nothing else) 

While much of your resume can be included in your LinkedIn profile, your profile is much more than a resume. 

Include the following in your profile: 

• Don't skip the Summary section. This key section of your LinkedIn profile gives you an easy way to share your online elevator speech with everyone who visits your profile. 
  
• Use first person to add energy to your content. Express your personality - with a business emphasis. 
  
• Add at least 7-10 of your most marketable skills. 
  
• End your profile with a sentence about the best way to contact you. 
  
• Include details and specifics about projects you are working on and the results you have achieved. 
  
• Update your privacy settings based on the stage you are in. Businesses should keep their settings public to help attract prospects. Employees actively (or secretly!) looking for a new position may want to be careful about sharing too much about their job hunting to their current employer on LinkedIn. 
  
• Avoid using the most common words found on LinkedIn.

Mistake #2 - Not using a professional photograph 

Your LinkedIn photo is essential to your online presence - it's how people notice and identify you. Make sure you use a professional photograph. When connections are considering whether to accept your invite, their first impression will be the photo you have on your profile. 

Your profile is 11 times more likely to be viewed when you include a photo. 

Mistake #3 - Restricting access to your profile 

Your profile should be set to share with the public. Why? So that you show up in searches. 

Your LinkedIn profile can even show up in Google search results - but you need the details set to public. 

Mistake #4 - Ignoring the built-in customer relationship manager 

LinkedIn provides features which can help you track and monitor your interactions with prospects, clients and customers. 

The customer relationship manager lets you set reminders for the next time you should contact. You can also track how you first met the person (which can be very impressive when you share the details the next time you meet someone). 

Mistake #5 - Failure to research prospects on LinkedIn 

The search functionality in LinkedIn is incredibly powerful. For example, with just a few clicks, you can find the names and details about all the Chief Financial Officers within a 20-mile radius of your office. 

In fact, I used LinkedIn to research a company that resulted in a $65K proposal. 

Mistake #6 - Not regularly adding connections 

LinkedIn is a quality AND a quantity game - you want to build your list of connections regularly. 

Set an appointment with yourself each week to spend five to ten minutes finding new connections. Connect with ten new prospects each week and you will have over 500 connections in just a year. 

Mistake #7 - Trying to use LinkedIn like Facebook 

LinkedIn's users are strictly interested in the business networking side of the site. You shouldn't find (or share!) any cat videos or dancing Santas on LinkedIn. 

If Facebook is like having a party with friends, LinkedIn is like attending a networking meeting with colleagues and prospects. 

You want to be interesting without being too personal - or too cute. One acquaintance tried to connect with me and she had used a Facebook photo of her dancing across the stage as her LinkedIn photo. It immediately made me question how seriously she took her business. 

Mistake #8 - Not reviewing your profile regularly 

At least once a quarter you should review your profile and update it with new projects, new skills and any new results you have obtained. 

Mistake #9 - Forgetting to share resources and your favorite finds with your connections 

You can use the sharing function on your profile to give out links to your favorite content, including useful links for your industry. 

By showing and sharing your knowledge, you increase your credibility and build trust with your connections. 

The LinkedIn publishing feature also lets you share and publish your own essays or blog posts. Your contacts are notified when you publish content. 

Mistake #10 - Avoiding LinkedIn groups. 

LinkedIn groups are an easy way to not only research what your prospects are asking about, but also learn more about your industry area. 

If you are trying to research your target audience, LinkedIn groups provide demographics AND a list of questions written by their members. 

Groups exist for every interest area, and you should be regularly commenting on the discussions relevant to your business. For example, one thread I commented on two years ago still gets follow-up comments, reads and shares. 

Your LinkedIn profile and account can provide a treasure trove of information and inexpensive exposure for your business. With a few key tweaks to your profile and a weekly "LinkedIn appointment," you can build your audience and your level of credibility with them.